worthwhile
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of worthwhile
Explanation
Things that are worthwhile are good — they're worth the time or money you spend on them. If you walked out of the theater and said "Wow, I'm glad I saw that movie!", then your film viewing trip was worthwhile. If going to the gym helped you get in better shape, it was worthwhile. If hanging out in the park made you happy, it was worthwhile. If something is a total waste of time and you wish you hadn't done it, then it wasn't worthwhile.
Vocabulary lists containing worthwhile
Because of Mr. Terupt
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List 9
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"The Ugly One," Vocabulary from Chapters 21-25
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Other times, it may be worthwhile to hold on to an item and see what offers materialize.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 16, 2026
“It was one of the most expensive games we had,” but Jackson says the level of fan engagement and customer acquisition made it worthwhile.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
But others question whether such investigations are even worthwhile in the modern era, given the tremendous cost and effort involved, among them, former investigator Tim Atkinson.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
One worthwhile exercise is to fill out the “soft skills” and “technical skills” sections of your LinkedIn profile.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
“Anyway, all I’m saying is, any time you mash two different people against each other, you’ll get problems, but I can see that what you guys have is worthwhile, that’s all.”
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
